Tourguiding in Penang - Day 2

After the somewhat tiring first day in Penang, we started the next day a little later. Waking up next to the sea was liberating, especially when the sound of waves seemed so near. All of us took a walk at the beach which was just within walking distance from the hotel. Of course, being me, my walk lasted barely 15 minutes under the hot sun. *LOL*

Our first destination for the day was to hunt for durians in Balik Pulau. Along the way, we had breakfast at some coffee shop in Teluk Bahang, since we were too hungry. Fate had it though, that when we almost finished our breakfast, a man on a motorbike stopped by the same coffee shop, bearing lots and lots of durians in his basket! All of us were staring at his basket when he parked his bike to have his breakfast. In the end, Joanne who couldn't withhold her cravings went to the man who was eating his hokkien mee and asked him whether he would sell us some of his durians. He was shocked! But who would say no to business right? :) So instead of hunting for durian stalls in Balik Pulau, we ended up eating durians at the coffee shop instead.

Our next agenda was to visit the popular Penang Tropical Fruit Farm, also located in Balik Pulau. I had never been there too, but thanks to Stan's directions, I managed to find the fruit farm easily. We even saw some durian trees along the winding road in Balik Pulau. The visitors from Beijing who had never seen durian trees before asked me to stop by for them to take pictures. They were really excited to see durians hanging on trees, and kept asking what would happen if someone was standing below when the durian dropped!

Durian trees at Balik Pulau

We reached the Fruit Farm soon and the view above was really green. This part of Penang is still not developed, probably the only part, and is a favourite of people who are looking for nature.

View from Fruit Farm

When we reached the fruit farm, we were greeted by the owner there and he mentioned to us about this fruit buffet and tour available. It was priced at RM25/person, and it included a tour to the fruit farm further up the hill, unlimited fruits in the buffet and a glass of fruit juice. All of us agreed to take the package and a van came to pick us up in no time.

The ride was just a short one uphill, probably a 2 minutes drive. We saw this pond filled with lotus leaves upon disembarking from the van.

Lotus leaves on pond

The fruit farm was filled with all kinds of tropical fruit trees local to the country including banana, coconut, pineapple, papaya, ciku, etc. It was the first time I saw a ciku tree. *LOL* There was also a kind guide who was around to show us different types of trees and gave us a brief description.

Fruit farm

Another part of fruit farm

After the tour, it was time to feast! Nearby the farm was this cafeteria for the fruit buffet. We were greeted by the display of fruits at the entrance.

Tropical fruits of Malaysia

We were among the first group to reach there, hence the place looked empty. Perhaps it's always empty since it's quite out of the way from the city centre.

Fruit cafe

There was a counter where you could order your complimentary glass of juice, and you could choose a combination of more than 1 type of fruit. Bear in mind that the juice here was purely from the fruit itself, no addition of water at all. So you can have all the goodness of fruits in a glass, very concentrated. Also, if you would like to have an additional glass, it was sold at RM4/glass.

Fruit juice counter

For those who want to be closer to the environment, there were also a couple of tables set outdoors.

Outdoor seats

The fruits for the buffet were all nicely washed and cut for convenience. All we needed to do was to pick up a plate and fork and munch away! :) I ate so much fruits that day than what I ate in a week! *LOL* Eating fruits could really make you full, so much so that I had a hard time finishing my juice.

Fruit buffet

More fruits

Most of the fruits here were of the sweet type, such as water melon, honeydew, jackfruit and papaya. Being a person with a sweet tooth, I gladly took many portions of those. :) Eating can be an enjoyable and guilt-free activity. *LOL*

Fruit variety

Halfway eating our fruits, one of the workers/owners (not sure) came over and brought a jug of blended green papaya juice. "Green" means young papayas that still have green skin. Apparently, this type of papaya is not sold in the market because they're too young. But the juice, however, has plenty of vitamins and it's surprisingly sweet! All of us were given a sample of the drink free of charge. :)

Complimentary green papaya juice

Finally, before we left, I went to claim my free juice, where I chose the combination of green papaya and pineapple. The juice was so concentrated but absolutely delicious! There was no addition of water or sugar, just purely fruit juice. If I weren't so full after the fruits, I would have ordered an extra glass. ;)

Green Papaya + Pineapple juice

Some pictures were taken before we left:

The Zhao couple

witch and Zhao Jie

Overall, I really enjoyed the trip to the fruit farm. I didn't know the existence of the fruit farm buffet until that time. I would highly recommend this place to be included in the must-visit list for any tourist to Penang.

Farm Address:
Batu 18, Jalan Teluk Bahang, Penang
Tel: 604-8665168
Fax: 604-8665170

LASIK and iLASIK

My dad used to have perfect eyesight. Ever since he was born until the age of 40, he never had to wear any corrective lenses, until he realized he couldn't read clearly after the age of 40. An eye inspection at the optometrist later showed that he had far-sightedness and had to wear glasses for reading. Having been spectacles-free for the past 40 years, it was indeed an unfamiliar feeling to wear glasses most of the time. Hence, he started do open up his options on laser vision corrective surgery, such as LASIK.

Nowadays, even NASA and the U.S. military have relied on an all-laser form of LASIK technology to improve the performance of their mission-critical personnel facing extreme, physically demanding conditions. This same technology has benefited residents for more than five years. According to Steven Schallhorn, M. D. and a retired U.S. Navy captain, “The DOD and NASA have validated the fact that today’s LASIK exceeds all established standards of safety and effectiveness.”

iLASIK™ Procedure, also referred to as the modern LASIK, features the usage of two lasers instead of one. During the first stage, wave-front technology maps the unique characteristics of the individual eyes, followed by an ultrafast, computer-guided laser to create a corneal flap. Using this laser to replace the handheld microkeratome blade in the older forms of LASIK results in an exceptionally safe procedure.

After that, the wave-front mapping data guides a second laser for vision correction. The new advanced laser technologies create a custom-fit procedure that is clinically proven to provide superb safety and visual results. A military evaluation of iLASIK in 100 personnel showed that a whopping 95% achieved 20/20 uncorrected vision or better. During the evaluation, 100% of naval aviators who went through the procedure said that they would recommend the surgery to fellow colleagues. Dr. Schallhorn emphasized that, “technologically speaking, there is no better time than now to join the over 12 million Americans who have benefited from LASIK."

Now if you'll excuse me, I am very excited to show my father this website for further LASIK information.

I'm going to fail

Recently, there was an email sent out by my company requesting the employees to participate in the Penang Bridge International Marathon as representatives. Those who join will be given T-shirts, and they would be participating on behalf of the company. Having worked and lived in Penang for more than 3 years now, I felt that running on the Penang Bridge was something I had to do at least once. You know, it's just like climbing the Mount Kinabalu if you stay in KK. Anyway, the timid me only joined the lowest level of Fun Run, which is just a 10km run. In fact, it is not even a valid marathon, because the full marathon itself is 42km, while half marathon is 25km and quarter marathon is 10km, but the quarter marathon is only open for teenagers! :( That means no matter how fast I finish my Fun Run, there won't be prizes or medals, just a piece of certificate. Oh well, I'm not complaining, considering my condition. *LOL* It has been AGES since I last jogged regularly. I still remember about 3 years ago, I was an active member of this nearby gym. In fact, I visited the gym at least 3 times a week, sometimes even 4. Here is what I did whenever I visited the gym:

- Run 30 minutes on treadmill as warm up, sometimes cycle if no treadmills available
- Join the classes (either Yoga, aerobics, modern jazz, latin aerobics) for 1 hour each time
- Continue with doing weights for at least 30 minutes with my instructor

Impressive or not? I still can't believe that I managed to go through that routine for 6 months continuously! My stamina rocked! Then, I started to do my Masters degree part time, and stopped going to the gym.

Fast forward 3 years, I can't even remember the last time I went jogging. Therefore, I thought I better not overestimate myself and start by joining the shortest 'marathon'. And I was right! Just yesterday, I attempted to run around my apartment (approximately 400m per round with slight incline) and I was panting like mad only after the first 5 minutes! Seriously, I felt like I was SO out of breath I could just collapse then and there. It was that bad. However, I continued walking and forced myself to complete 5 rounds, partly running, partly walking. I believe I had used every morsel of strength I had by the end of the 20minutes run. And that was when my confidence shattered. How am I going to finish 10km in the stipulated 2 hours? How? I'm so going to fail.

The ultimate saviour to my lips!

I'm sure most of us take our lips for granted, including myself. When I was younger (relative term, mind you), I used to wonder why some people's lips were so dry, to the point of cracking! I used to like licking my lips because I thought licking them would prevent the cracked lips from happening. Was I so wrong! Things took a turn for the worse about a year ago. It could probably be due to the air-conditioned working environment? Or it could be due to the slightly dry air in Penang since it's located just next to the sea? But my lips were turning dry gradually!

Of course, licking them further worsened the situation. Once the saliva evaporates, it will evaporate together with what little moisture you still have on your lips, resulting in even drier lips. Therefore, the only smart way to reduce the lip's dryness is by using lip balms. Let me tell you that my lips were beyond dry, they were even beyond cracked. They were so painful at times that I couldn't even smile properly or I'd have risked tearing my fragile lip skin apart! It was that serious! The problem was I tried so many different types of lip balms! I practically tried all the brands that were available in Guardian or Watson's pharmacies.

Vaseline: This was just okay, couldn't really give long lasting results, more of a temporary relief. A bit tedious to apply though, because it is in a tube form and you tend to squeeze out too much or too little. The worst part was, after a few weeks of using, the tube cracked! And there was leakage coming out from the crack, so it was just... messy!

Vaseline lip therapy

Then, I tried Nivea Repair from Nivea, recommended by a friend. It was much better than the tube variant, and much easier to apply. However, the effect was also rather temporary, but probably slightly longer than the Vaseline above.

Nivea repair

After I was out of Nivea repair, I wanted to get another one but it was out of stock. So I decided to try another variant, called Nivea Hydro Care. This was really quite useless. It was similar to applying a layer of water on your lips and it almost dried up immediately after applying. So much so, it didn't give me the moisture effect even after applying lip balm. Bad purchase...

Nivea Hydro care

Then my dear cousin from the UK brought back a Chapstick medicated and I tried it out. It was brilliant! It was similar to Nivea repair, but it has a tinge of menthol in it, leaving my lips feeling cool and hydrated longer. It also scored some points for being able to maintain my lips in good condition with regular usage. You see, with other lip balms, every time they wear off (for example, after eating or drinking water), the lips would become dry almost immediately. Put in other words, you simply just couldn't leave your lips without any lip balm at any time of the day or you'd feel the dryness creeping in. But for Chapstick medicated, the effect was on-going. Even after eating, my lips would still maintain its previous condition, without the dryness feeling. It was really quite cool. Hence, I started to hunt for it in Malaysia, only to no avail! Well, to be exact, I only hunted in Penang and Ipoh. They might have it in KL but I'm not so sure.

So I then asked a friend who has another friend going to the US, to help me buy Chapsticks Medicated. The keyword here is Medicated, not just any Chapsticks, but Medicated types. There are SO many varieties available so I had to be clear in order to avoid mistakes.

Chapstick varieties

I thought I was clear enough conveying to my friend but horror of all horrors, I asked him to get me half a dozen and half a dozen I got! But they're all NOT Chapsticks!!! Apparently Chapstick has become such a household name for lip balms, that people do not even know Chapstick is actually a brand! It's the same with Tupperware. In case any of you didn't know, Tupperware is actually a very famous brand for plastic storage ware since long time ago. But due to its popularity, people have been referring to plastic storage ware as Tupperware even though they're not by Tupperware. Similarly, Chapsticks are synonymous with lip balms now. And out of the half a dozen of lip balms, not even ONE was from Chapstick! *sob* The person had NO IDEA that Chapstick was actually a brand, okay. Look at what I've got now! Blistex:

Blistex Lip Medex

Carmex??

Carmex

Blistex again

Blistex medicated ointment

Another Blistex!

Blistex lip balm

Sighhhh... Next time, I really must take a picture of the Chapstick that I want and send it to the person who's going to US.

Everything but Chapstick!

Half a year later, I had another friend going to the US, and of course, this time I didn't repeat my mistake. I finally managed to get loads of supplies of Chapstick Medicated! *yay* I'm telling you, this is the lip balm of all lip balms! It is my saviour! :)

Chapstick Medicated the great!

Aftermath of diarrhea

It has been 1 week and 3 days now, and I can't even say it's an aftermath yet because it's not over. This is horrible, diarrhea that is. It was last Tuesday morning when I had my first bout of diarrhea right after I got out of my bed. That's right, immediately out of my bed and I was hunting for the dear toilet, half asleep and delirious (it was 6.45am after all). The pain was close to unbearable and I was cursing for what happened to me just when I was about to start a brand new day. Well, after that episode, I went to work as usual, hoping that the worst had gone by.

But boy, was I wrong! The same pain attacked me again just after I reached the office. I was so grateful that I could walk to the toilet, ok maybe I ran a little, just in time before it was too late. You get my drift. Anyway, after that, I felt much better and there were no more such diarrheas for the rest of the day. I thought everything was fine, until at night I suddenly felt feverish. I was down with a temperature (how ironic, the way this sentence sounds).

Thanks to my trusty herbal tea which I drank and went to sleep after, I woke up the next morning feeling almost as good as new. I felt the normal, except that I didn't have much of an appetite. For the next few days after that, my stomach was occasionally making growling sounds, very uncomfortable, as if something was brewing within me, something not good of course. And it always felt bloated and full of air. Oh and that occasional diarrhea would just visit me at the most ungodly hours!

The worst part of this incident, in my opinion, is that I lost my wonderful appetite! That is just so awful. Imagine looking at ice-cream, yet having no desire for it? Or decadent chocolate cake desserts and STILL no cravings? Oh and don't get me started on rice, our staple food. I thought something went very wrong with me, until I had no love for rice anymore. A few days ago, I went out for lunch with my colleagues and what did I eat? A char siew dumpling, an egg tart and a char siew pastry! That was all and they made me feel full for the rest of the day, so much so that I did not even feel like having dinner at night. That, my friend, is something you would not want to experience. Who would want to be enemies with food? I know I wouldn't.

Until today, I still can't say I'm fully recovered yet. My grandmother made me my favourite and best-in-the-world chicken chop and fried shrimps and I already felt that I couldn't eat after 2 bites! Gosh, I used to be able to finish more than 1 chicken chops you know. Well comparatively, I am able to eat a little bit more but I still have no desire for ice-creams or chocolates. That is something incredibly wrong, if I might add. I hope that my occasional diarrhea would completely die off and my good friend called the appetite will come back to me again. Man ,how I miss having to crave for food!

Bella Depilux Hair Free System

I have been contemplating for the LONGEST time on whether I should get my underarm hair permanently removed. I don't know about you but I am really irritated and annoyed with the unsightly and uncomfortable bush underneath. On top of that, the regrowth is at an amazing rate, with super high density, such that the tweezing has to be done weekly. I tell you, tweezing is not an easy task, especially for high density hair. Besides, tweezing is not actually that good for your skin because it pulls out the hair follicles, which will then stay outside of the skin. In the long run, it will create a rough and bumpy surface on your skin, not unlike chicken skin. *eww* I have considered shaving but obviously, shaving is definitely less effective since the regrowth is almost immediate. Then there is waxing, but waxing actually promotes ingrown hair. Also, when you wax more times, you're subjecting your skin to repetitive tension so it will eventually sag!

Then, I came across this popular Bella Depilux Hair Free System. It sounded like a dream come true!


It has no side effects and most importantly, it is permanent.

After debating and thinking for a long time, I finally took the first step to arrange for a free consultation. The manager who attended to me was really nice and patient. We spent more than half an hour talking about how the process works, about past history with the clients, about my own condition and all the 1001 queries that I had!

She reassured me that this method has no side effects and that Bella is the pioneer in hair removal system. We looked at pictures and charts, and then she even showed me her own underarms! I was definitely impressed, because they looked just like any other part of her arms, no rough patches, no dark spots and definitely no chicken skin! :)

Of course, being the salesperson that she is, you would expect her to keep on pushing me to do it. But she was definitely not like that. She was very good in providing all the information required and she could relate to me in a girly type of way. It makes you feel comforted knowing that there are many other girls out there, such as she herself, who think and feel the same way.

In the end, she recommended a package to me, the same one that she underwent herself. The best part about the package they offered is that it is under guarantee! You get a full 5 times treatment and after that, your underarms are actually under a warranty period of 1 year. So within this 1 year, if you are not satisfied with the results or if there are some minor hair regrowth, you could still go back for up to 5 treatments, free of charge. Isn't that great? I think that's the most attractive part of the package. I am sure most people, myself not excluded, would be wary and doubtful before signing up, since the charges are not cheap. But with this warranty, I think everyone should have a peace of mind, knowing that you're in good hands!

I am going to start my treatment soon! :) I will definitely update my progress here from time to time, just to share the results with everyone! :)

I just want to pen down how I feel...

It started with a mild discomfort when I was trying to read a document. The vision was somehow distorted. It was not blurred. Just distorted. Like I was hallucinating, or disoriented. It was weird. But I knew what was coming up. It was a dangerous warning of a something bad ahead. It was all too familiar. Whatever I was seeing, the images seemed to lag a few seconds behind. It gradually grew worse to a mild headache.

The discomfort was irritating since I couldn't concentrate on my work. My head spun once in a while, but if I settled down and calmed myself, I felt slightly better. I wanted to stop the worse from happening, but I knew I had a slim chance.

Later, after 30 minutes, my head started throbbing. So much so I had to force myself to see the in-house doctor. Darn doctor didn't know what he was doing. I didn't care, I only wanted the MC to go back and rest. Luckily I got it. But wait, what did it say? Half day MC starting from 1pm. It was only 11.15am. How was I going to withstand it? The pain was growing exponentially and then, I felt nauseous. I rushed to the nearest toilet and puked and puked. Grossed me out.

I thought things would get better after relieving, but boy, was I wrong. I tried to concentrate on my work. 11.30am. I told myself I would leave at 12pm. 30 minutes wouldn't be so bad, right? No, another bout started to kick in and I had to rush to the toilet. Where in the world did I get all those liquid in my body? I didn't even eat much during breakfast. 11.45am. I told myself, this was it. I couldn't stand it any longer. I had to go home.

Home indeed. Needless to say, my first visit was to the washroom to do you-know-what. Argh... Why didn't the headache just go away? The stench was horrible. I then forced myself to sleep, but the pain was not unlike a tight ring clutching inwards on my skull. It was painful beyond words and I was desperate to fall asleep. To be numb. Thankfully I managed to go into slumber in the end, for a good 3 hours. Waking up after that, I felt much better but still a subtle aching feeling at the back of my head.

I forced some bread into my stomach since I did not eat anything since breakfast. Slept another 2 hours after that, and felt as good as new. Or that's what I thought. What the hell was that? Was it migraine? Was in something worse? Was it just a normal headache?

I checked the internet for migraine and it gave the similar symptoms that I experienced:

• partial obstruction of the visual field - Check
• feeling of heaviness - Check
• sensitivities to light, movement - Check
• nausea or vomiting - Check

Am I suffering from migraine? *gasp*

Period pain remedy please

I am writing this post to call out for EVERYONE, anyone, please tell me any good period pain prevention method (no medication, please) that you know. Yesterday marked the most dreadful pain that I have ever experienced due to menstruation, in my entire life. No doubt it was the very first day of period but everything was fine, that was, until after lunch.

It started with a mild discomfort which was usual for me sometimes. But then it gradually became worse and I had to crunch my stomach, which did not improve my situation any bit, mind you. I tried to sleep it off, lied down on the bed and counted sheep (yes, I was THAT desperate). But I only ended up tossing and turning and sweating under all the pain. To top it off, I could not sleep at all. It got so bad that at one point, I actually vomited part of my lunch out (ok, gruesome).

Anyway, I read from somewhere that hot wattle bottle placed on the aching area would help ease period cramps. So, with fumbling hands and a subconscious mind, I dragged myself to boil water and poured it into some bottle. Due to the sad fact that I did not have a proper rubber water pouch, I had to make do with the only plastic bottle that I could get hold of. And then I placed the scorchingly hot bottle, layered with a piece of cloth, onto my stomach. It was burning, but it helped to distract my mind from the pain. But it did not really help me sleep... that was until Help arrived. By Help, I actually meant Panadol Menstrual pills. :P After popping two of those, only did I start feeling better and manage to doze off peacefully.

So people, if you have any good remedy to PREVENT period pains, please do share with me. I'm more than happy to try them out! :) Of course, no medication... and I think I'm under a lot of stress lately *sigh*

Amazing pillow...

I was complaining the other day regarding my neck and back pain in the morning. Either the way I positioned my head on the pillow was not correct, or the pillow was not good. But it WAS a goose feather pillow, no less, which was rather costly in the first place :(

After several days of complaining, I was given a nice surprise gift! Introducing Jean Perry (pronounced as John Per-ree cause it's French) Memory Pillow...

Well I bet everyone will think that Memory Pillow, based on the name, is supposed to improve my memory, right? How I wish it were true! It is just a name... Apparently, the pillow has some cutting edge technology foam material which can mold itself to support your head and neck while at the same time absorbing pressure and heat. I believe it is how the pillow can maintain this particular and customized shape throughout the night, to ensure a good sleep, that led to its name as the Memory Pillow.
It is also Anti Dust Mite as well, what an angel!
There are two ends to the pillow, one being the thinner end and the other, thicker. Depending on the person's sleeping position, the required height of the pillow also varies. For normal usage, it is recommended to sleep on the thicker/higher end, which can support your neck better. On the other hand, if the person chooses to sleep on his/her stomach, then the thinner/lower end would suffice.
I have used this for a week now and I'm proud to say that I don't have neck and back sores now! What a wonder this pillow is...

The beauty of Kerachut...

It was more than a year ago since I last visited Kerachut beach in the Penang National Park. I used to hike there rather frequently when I was doing my internship in Penang, when I had more time and more fun people surrounding me. Fast forward to present, where I have to work full-time, and study part-time. Studying has really taken a big chunk of my personal life, it's not funny. Week night outings have almost reduced to a zero, and I lose half of the weekend for attending classes! Gosh, what a price to pay!

Anyway, a few weeks ago, a good friend managed to get me out on a beautiful Sunday morning to go for a hike. Well, I should say he laid a guilt trip on me by saying lots of things that were rather true. So yes, I have not been exercising for the longest time, and yes, I can't remember the last time I went swimming, or the last time I went to the gym. Big deal. :P But come to think of it, it does make me feel guilty for not taking care of my health. So I yielded without much ado, and I did not regret it.

We reached the entrance point of the National Park at past 9am and I realised what a major change it was compared to the last time I was there. For starters, there was this nice building for hikers' registration which was newly built. Last time, it used to be at some rundown booth that no one noticed.


Registration office

Nearby, there was another building which was in the midst of completion. If I'm not mistaken it's a building for some forestry research of some kind. It does look nice from the outside.




After registering our names at the office, we were on our way to Kerachut!

Entrance of Penang National Park

Before continuing further, we had to do the most important thing before a hike. Well, most important for me. *LOL* That is putting on sufficient sunblock lotion! Never go hiking on a hot afternoon without sunblock because you'll just regret it. Took this picture on the way in...

Nice view of the pier


First stretch of the hike

The weather was just nice for a hike on that Sunday. It was not too warm underneath the trees and the air was not too stuffy either.



A pretty blue dragonfly that I spotted

The first spot that we stopped was at this deserted gazebo nearby the beach. The view would have been much nicer if the lake was not dried up. :)


And a further 5 minutes walk led us to the beach!



Beautiful unpolluted beach

Well for those who are not so interested in the one hour hike to Kerachut beach, they can always opt for the boat ride.

The signature pier of Kerachut

More of beautiful beach pictures of Kerachut...





Nice sandy beach (if you don't mind the sun :P)

After resting and admiring the beach for about half an hour, we were on our way to hike out again. Somehow, I felt more energized after the visit and had more energy hiking out than in. So ironic... However, something unfortunate happened on my way out. Turned out that my Nike shoes were not so reliable after all. The outsole of my right shoe decided to give up on me barely halfway through the journey out! :( It got really irritating when it was just flip-flapping away and my nice hiking partner offered first-aid to rescue my shoe. :) And I literally meant First-aid as he was using the tape from the first-aid kit! *LOL*



My shoe is good to go! :)


While waiting for first-aid...

Finally after another hour, we reached our starting point again, now all sweaty and tired. I couldn't resist taking some pictures of the mini fishing pier at the entrance of the National Park in Teluk Bahang.



Fishing boats..



I felt a sense of achievement for being able to hike in and out without much complaints :P Of course, I paid the price for having muscle aches for the next 2 days, but it was all worth it!